Villains Year One
by zacaria
Summary: A story depicting Batmans' first encounters with his rogues gallery I do not own any batman or lewis carroll characters


It was just another routine criminal. Granted, this man had certain… eccentricities that most mobsters and drug dealers lacked. Apart from his hat and his hypnotic abilities, however, once he was figured out Jervis Tech was easily predictable and simple to find.

His case was a tragedy, to be sure. Overworked and underpaid at LexCorp, Tech was a brilliant scientist who worked on a devise to brainwash animals into obedience. The one thing that seemed to get him through the day was imagining a Wonderland, where he could live undisturbed and perfectly happy. Once this new technology was finished, Tech was fired and his minor obsession grew into something terrifying. He stole back his plans and- the secretary of the building's name? Alice. He only kidnapped her only a few hours ago.

Just a routine criminal who could brainwash people and had a Lewis Carroll fetish. How hard could this be?

At least he was easy to follow; the Jabberwock amusement park is in Gotham this weekend. The Batmobile came to a screeching halt two and a half blocks away. Despite the newly commissioned Gordon's protests, if near the crime scene, the car would have to be taken away for evidence. The Batman was a wanted criminal, after all.

"_Caw!" _A raven shrieked at him through his windshield. The huge, creepy raven had a scar on its eye. Stupid bird. The windshield wipers should scare it away

The dark figure stopped short at the gate to the park. It was wide open and a man, red haired, dressed in a puffy black and grey striped costume and had a perpetual grin, stood unmoving. He was an odd sight, with an oddly curved nose and a chin so sharp one could slice cheese on it. There was no time to be subtle.

"Where's the Hatter!" cried the Batman as he approached in the gruffest voice he could manage.

"Oh, you can't help that…" replied the man, still smiling. Oddly enough, his voice reminded the caped crusader of Luke Skywalker. "We're all mad here. I'm mad, you're-" a conk on the head shut him up. He didn't want to hurt a civilian, but the Bat couldn't help having potential liabilities just lying around. The smile still didn't leave the Cat's face. It was disturbing, to say the least.

Within a heartbeat, Batman was in the centre of the park. With the typical rides all around him, he scanned each area with determination, scanning for a potential hiding place for his enemy. He didn't have to look for long.

_The Mad Hatter's Lunch Area_. How convenient. Upon further inspection, a smaller man with a large hat sat on a picnic table in the distance with a girl sitting across from him. As he got closer, Batman saw it was a young, blonde haired girl wearing an Alice costume, her expression totally deadpanned. He reached around and clicked a button on his belt, notifying his location to the authorities. Before Tech could even notice him, a kick sent him flying. The little man whimpered and twisted his hat in an odd shape.

"Leave us in peace!" He cried. "I love her…" Alice didn't flinch. So that was what this was about.

Several Lewis Carroll characters jumped out of the bushes. It seemed that Jervis was controlling his victims through his hat… All very interesting, but easily remedied. Batman destroyed the controller before any of them had an opportunity to attack. He looked at Alice, who still hadn't moved. The effects of the Mad Hatter's brainwashing would ware off in a few hours. Oddly enough, Tech still hadn't run away or fought back. In fact, he looked devastated.

"You're right." He said as he gripped Alice's hand. This caught the Dark Knight off guard. Why couldn't all criminals be like this? But Jervis's expression changed in an instant.

"This is your fault!" He cried suddenly, lunging towards his opponent. "People like you have been victimizing and keeping me away from happiness all my life!" the Hatter tackled the Batman to the ground and wrapped his hands around his neck. The Dark Knight quickly kneed him in the groin and threw him against the picnic table.

"No," the caped crusader responded, not entirely sure how to respond to the little man's accusations. Tech wiped a tear off his face and looked at his apprehender.

"Will you take care of Alice?" he asked. It was odd how Jervis's mood could change so suddenly. "Make sure I haven't hurt her, I mean."

"Of course." The recipient replied, handcuffing his victim to the wooden structure and beginning to walk away.

"Oh, and, uh, Batman?" He stopped. "Why is a raven like a writing desk?"

_"Caw!" _If he had been alone, the vigilante would have jumped three feet into the air. There was something about dark creatures with wings that frightened him. And this creature had the same scar over its left eye. Could it be following him? Impossible. No one could train that type of bird and it's not like it had an agenda of its own.

Batman continued down the path, unnerved but still composed. Even when he passed the Cheshire Cat, who was still lying on the ground, despite having his eyes open and that malicious grin continuing across his face. Or at least Batman _was _composed until he reached his car. That's when he heard a woman scream.


End file.
